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Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road… (Mark 11:7,8a)

The crowd cheered
but some asked:
“Who is this Jesus?”
From one age to the next,
this man from Nazareth
speaks to their need and their hope.
Some saw Jesus as prophet,
an Elijah, Amos or Isaiah.
For some the long-awaited Messiah.

The cloak:
a large square of cloth
with armholes
and one for the wearer’s head.
A vital garment:
without it a man was naked.
And it served as a covering at night.
Different cloaks for different folks;
one’s identity, occupation, social status
and one’s most important possession.

If you take your neighbor’s cloak in pawn, you shall restore it before the sun goes down; for it may be your neighbor’s only clothing to use as cover; in what else shall that person sleep? And if your neighbor cries out to me, I will listen, for I am compassionate. (Ex. 22:26,27).

Many people spread their cloaks on the road…
their material, moral, social identity
as Jesus passed by.

This Jesus:
who is He?
Master, Teacher?
Light for the journey through a world
that seems to have lost direction?
The Troubler of your peace,
moving you to action
alongside the hurt and broken?
The One in whom you see
the nature and presence of God?

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus…. (Philippians 2:5)

Throw down your cloak,
give up your own identity
and self:
take on the self,
the identity of the Christ.

Who is this Jesus?
Will you throw your cloak before him
as he passes by?